Feel The (Freezer) Burn: Blues Players Don Shorts, Flip-Flops En Route to Winter Classic
Andy Clayton-King/Associated Press
Nothing says “beach wear” like Minnesota on New Year’s Day.
And the St. Louis Blues weren’t letting sub-zero temperatures get in the way of making a statement, and having a little fun, ahead of Saturday’s NHL Winter Classic against the Minnesota Wild at Target Field.
Brrr.
The temperature in Minneapolis is only supposed to reach minus-2 degrees, but it will be even colder when the game begins at 7 p.m. ET: minus-5 with a wind chill hovering around minus-20.
It will be so cold, league officials said earlier this week that they may have to heat the ice for optimal playing conditions.
According to a report from NHL.com:
When the air temperature is above the optimum ice temperature, the glycol and aluminum pans transfer heat away from the ice. But when the air temperature is below the optimum ice temperature, it transfers heat to the ice,. The NHL has used a custom-made inline heater before to warm the glycol in the pipes on the way to the floor, but here it will use two inline heaters for the first time, one at the refrigeration truck and another in the outfield. The crew can calibrate the temperature to a half-degree.
Double brrr.